


Together

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 11:18:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20759501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: Conference is long, and for some reason he made it his mission to avoid her. She's having none of that





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!   
We are back in the ficland. And today, it’s fluff with a sprinkle of deep conversations  
Enjoy! <3

„I know I shouldn’t be here…” she said, shifting her weight from one leg onto another. She still had her hand up from where it was when she knocked on his hotel room door. They were back in Miami, for another conference, just the two of them this time. And it had been difficult.

Three days behind them, four days ahead of them. Three days of tension, him barely acknowledging she existed, ignoring everything not related to work. They got separate rooms, and Ethan has been using it to the fullest, locking himself inside, refusing to spend time with her outside of the conference room.

He was laying in his bed, wide awake at three in the morning. Claire on his mind. How was it possible that she has conquered him so completely? All his thoughts were hers. He had been tossing and turning in his bed for the past four hours, restless. The wild chase of his thoughts was interrupted by the knock on the door. Almost as though he called her with his mind, there she was.

“Is everything okay?” she looked distraught, like something was bothering her, which was probably the case.

“No. Nothing is okay. I am tired, but I cannot sleep, it’s unbearably hot, and on top of that, you are avoiding me.”

“I’m not avoiding you.” he refused to look her in the eye. She pushed past him, walking into the room and he closed the door, following her.

“Really? Could have fooled me. It’s not like you’re locking yourself in your room every chance you get. It’s not like you’re refusing to talk or spend time with me when work isn’t involved.”

He was busted. She knew, she just shot down all his excuses.

“Rookie…”

“_Am_ I still a Rookie?”

“Of course you are! Why would you…”

“Because you cut me out! You left me all alone!” she was breathing heavily, burning holes into him with her eyes, which were blazing with emotions.

“Claire, you have to understand that-“

“How long will this go on for? How much longer will we pretend that there is nothing between us? How much more pain will I have to endure until you realize that I don’t care what other people think? All I care about is you. I want you. I need you. I want the pain to stop. Make it stop, Ethan!”

“I’m sorry, Claire. I’ll give you some space and then…”

“Don’t give me space! The last thing I want with you is space. I once asked you to be honest with me about us, and you weren’t. Do it now. Be honest with me. Tell me what you really want.”

By this point they were both crying, tears flowing down their faces, eyes red. Her hands were curled into fists, nails digging into the skin of her palms, one of her stress habits, besides nervous eating. Her head fell forward, biting her lip to stop the sobs from coming out.

Ethan watched her, tears falling down his cheeks helplessly. Reaching for her hands, he slowly undid the grip of her fingers, releasing the pressure. A soft gasp escaped his lips as he took in the damage she did to herself. The indents, furiously red, a stark contrast to her fair skin, a line of marks, healed scars. He cradled her hands in his, lifting them to his lips. He pressed soft kisses to the wounds, eyes closed, wishing, praying, that he could heal her with his touch.

He heard her take in a shaky breath, emotions overflowing her. He raised his gaze back to her face, tracing her every feature with them. They were watching each other, waiting in painful silence and anticipation for the other to make a move. She looked so small, like she wanted to disappear. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

“I want to hold your hand, keep you close to me. Kiss your hair when you lean onto me. Run my hands all over your body. Watch your face when you smile, see those dimples appear on your cheeks. Smooth out the lines that appear right here…” he touched the place between her eyes softly with his fingers. “… when you’re focused. Be there for you, say the things you need to hear to understand how special you are.”

He leaned forward, asking with his eyes for permission, before pressing a tender kiss to her cheek. Her eyes fluttered close, a soft breath escaping her lips, a delicate whimper. After a moment, he continued.

“You are important to me. When I’m with you, nothing else matters. I’m still struggling with letting go of my fears, but I’m trying. I want to try. I’m going to spend all the time I have, proving it to you. I want you too. I need you too. I care about you too. I want to ease our pain. I want us to be happy. I want us to try.”

He leaned back, searching her face for any indication of what was happening in her brain. She was hesitating, something was holding her back.

“Ethan… I need to hear you say one more thing. Tell me this, and I’m yours.” She was aware of how that sounded, but she wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully otherwise.

“Claire?”

“I need you to tell me that you mean it. Tell me that you’re not saying it just to get me in your bed again. Tell me that you’re not going to run again. Tell me that I can trust you not to break me again. Can you promise me to talk to me when something bothers you or something happens? Can you trust me?”

Suddenly, all at once, it fell into place. She was protecting them both from the heartbreak. She wanted to be sure that he was certain that this is what he wanted.

“I’m not going to run. I’m not going to leave you. I know that I can talk to you about everything. I trust you. You can trust me. I promise to take care of you, the last thing I want is to hurt you. We can protect each other.”

Their stares were intense, silence fell over them, fragile. Then, like a wave crashing into the shore, Claire threw her arms around him, pulling him to her. Her tears trickled down his neck, soaking into his shirt as he held her.

“I’m yours.” She whispered into his ear softly.

“You have me, Claire.” His lips pressed against her hair, leaving a soothing kiss there.

“We have a few days left. Let’s take it slow, day by day, and see what happens.”

“And after we’re back?”

“We’ll deal with it together.”

“I like that idea very much.” He smiled, hugging her tighter to him before taking a step back so they were facing each other. “Can I kiss you?”

She nodded, her movements barely noticeable. Her eyes flickered down to his lips before looking back at him. They met in the middle, a delicate touch, full of anticipation. As quickly as it started, it ended, and they leaned back again to process the situation.

Only for a moment though.

Because the smiles grew on their faces, bright and effortless, and they fell onto each other into another kiss. He groaned against her, relieved and happy, while she let out a squeal, giggling cheerfully. Finally, they were where they were always supposed to be.

Together.


End file.
